Nepal crashed out of the ACC Emerging Nations Cup with an 83-run defeat  against the hosts Bangladesh U-23 team at the Sheikh Kamal International  Cricket Stadium Academy Ground in Cox’s Bazar on Tuesday.

The second successive defeat in two days meant Nepal along with Hong Kong are out of contention of reaching the semi-finals from Group ‘B’. Hong Kong also lost both their matches as Bangladesh and Pakistan U-23 team advance to last four from the group with two wins apiece. The junior teams from the Test-playing nation will now clash to decide the group winners. Nepal  and Hong will play an inconsequential match on Thursday. Nepal had  suffered a six-wicket loss against Pakistan on Monday.

Top two teams  from each of the two pools qualify for the semi-finals. The  eight-team tournament features four U-23 Test-playing nations India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh along with ICC Associate members  Afghanistan, Nepal, Malaysia and Hong Kong.

Bangladesh overcame an early wobble to post 257-9 in 50 overs before restricting Nepal to 174 runs in 42.3 overs. The Bangladeshi team appeared to be in a real trouble after a superb bowling spell from Avinash Karn and Mehboob Alam reduced the hosts to 33-4 by the 10th over. But skipper Monimul Haque, a 22-Test match veteran, and Nasir Hossain, who have played 17 Tests and 58 ODIs, took the game away  from Nepal.

Haque and Hossain first resurrected the hosts’ innings with a 78-run fifth wicket stand before the latter batted Bangladesh to a big total. Hossian remained unbeaten on 109 runs, his 115-ball knock  included 12 fours and two sixes. Skipper Haque, who have also played 26 ODIs for senior Bangladeshi, scored a swift 61 from 78 balls with seven hits to the fence.

Karn returned with figures of 3-46 from eight overs, while leg-spinner Sandeep Lamichhane, who accounted for the Bangladeshi skipper in the 26th  over, took 2-41 for Nepal. Alam, Dipendra Singh Airee and Nepal skipper Gyanendra Malla took one wicket each.

Nepal were themselves put on the backfoot early on after losing their influential skipper Gyanendra Malla for a 10-ball duck. Nepal were reeling at 16-3 by the seventh over before a 98-run fourth wicket partnership between Dilip Nath and Airee brought some life in their run chase. But the dismissal of Nath in the 30th over continued the Nepal slide as they lost their last six wickets for 60 runs.

Airee scored 56 and Nath 41. Airee struck six boundaries in his 85-ball  innings, while Nath hit four fours and a six in his 62-ball knock. An entertaining 33-run cameo late on from Binod Bhandari only helped reduced the margin of their defeat. Bhandari clobbered six fours and a six in his  23-ball knock. Rahatul Ferdous was pick of the Bangladeshi bowlers with 4-45, while  Mohammed Saifuddin took three and Abul Hasan claimed two wickets.

Nepal are playing in the tournament with a depleted squad as three of their  first-team players—veteran spinners Basanta Regmi and Shakti Gauchan  along with  paceman Sompal Kami—were rested following the ICC World  Cricket League Championship double header against Kenya earlier this  month. Regular skipper Paras Khadka also opted out of the tournament as he is recovering from an appendicitis operation he had in  mid-February.